Devour Houston

I ate at Cafe Lili for the first time a few days ago.  While the atmosphere and food were fine, I was a little underwhelmed and just haven’t been motivated to even post on it.  The eatery fell somewhere between not really boring, but no pizazz either. 

I had two friends recommend this spot.   The inside of the restaurant was clean and the service was excellent.  Not much energy, but when I left at 1:30, the place was still totally packed.  So, obviously, many folks do like Cafe Lili.  I think it is a comfort spot.

We started with the Veggie Plate ($10.79), which included 3 cold appetizers.   We sampled humos, tabouli, and baba ghanouj.  The humos (pureed chick peas and tahini sauce) was pretty good.  At first I thought it lacked flavor, but the more olive oil I added, the better it got.  And, it was creamy.  Good texture and consistency.  Next the tabouli salad (chopped parsley, cracked wheat, green onions, tomatoes, lemon and olive oil dressing).  It was very light and fresh.  Very heavy on the parsley.  I like the flavor of parsley, so I was fine with that.  A little of this tabouli salad, though, went a long for me.  Finally the baba ghanouj (grilled egg plant puree).  It too was creamy and light.  And, it did have a nice delicate and flavorful finish.

For my main dish, I had the Grilled Kabob Chicken Salad — romaine, feta, green onions, tomatoes with Lebanese spices and house dressing ($11.99).  The chicken was moist and tender with a great fire-grilled flavor.  The ingredients were very fresh.  The tomatoes were delicious.   But was the salad extra special?  Maybe not.  But, it was still a very nice grilled chicken salad (and I have had many a grilled chicken salads in my time!). 

One complaint, the pita bread was chewy and dense, not light and airy.  I didn’t like it. Okay, so would I go back to Cafe Lili?  Yes, I would go back.  The service was quick and friendly and the food was fresh.  But, of all the great Houston restaurants, would I recommend it?  I don’t know.  Like I said initially, no pizazz.  But, sometimes that is what you need:  fresh ingredients, dependable service, and a safe, comfortable experience.

Cafe Lili Lebanese Grill
5757 Westheimer
Houston, Texas 77057
713-952-6969
www.cafelili.com

I love Risotto.  What is not to love about a creamy, starchy dish?  Comfort food at a sophisticated level.   I also love Sur La Table.  I can browse for hours at the fancy pots, array of wooden spoons, and assortment of blenders and food processors.  What is not to love about these things!?  Put the two together:  Risotto Cooking Class + Sur La Table = a super fun night with yummy results.

Our teacher, Robbie Rensel, was spot-on perfectly great.  He was funny.  He was knowledgeable (he studied at CIA for goodness sakes!).  He was patient.  He was excellent.   After we practiced some knife skills, made a chive oil, whipped up an arugula pesto, and reduced onions to incorporate into a tomato jam, the classed divided into 4 groups to make 4 different risottos.  What a great format.  Our team was the most fun.  Clearly.  We were the team drinking wine!  But, truly we got lucky, our whole class was friendly and amusing. 

Our team was charged with making the Pumpkin Risotto with Fried Sage Leaves and Chive Oil.   This specific class was particularly interesting to me in that I do love making risotto, but its never perfect.  Mine always comes out creamy and flavorful, but my rice is always too al dente.  I think, thanks to Robbie, that I figured out my problem.   Working with that Pumpkin Risotto, I’m hoping I tweaked my own rice stirring skills!

I highly recommend taking a class at Sur La Table.  Professional.  Instructive.  Fun.  A great evening with some great food at the end. 

I tried the Eddie V’s at West Avenue back in December, I was ho-hum on whether I’d ever return there.  But, I thought I’d give the Eddie V’s at City Centre a try this go around.  Did I just have one isolated bad experience at West Avenue?  Is the City Centre location better.  Hmmmmm…I wanted to see.

We started with the Gulf Oysters ($12.90).  Beautiful presentation.  Fresh. Savory.  A nice rich flavor.  A good amount of salty flavor, but not over done.  A nice way to start the meal.

Another starter included the Maine Lobster & Shrimp Bisque with cream and cognac ($7.90).  Anything with cream and cognac has to be delicious, right?  I love those two words:  cream and cognac.  However, this soup was anything but.  It was not creamy.  It was not rich.  It was too thin.  There was no bite to it.  Very disappointing.

I ordered the Chilled Colossal Shrimp Cocktail back in December at the other Eddie V’s.  It was very disappointing previously.  But, this time around it at this location, the shrimp were delicious.  Delicate.  Fresh.  Tender.  Very light.  The dish made me smile ($13.90).  And the melon-jicama slaw was fresh, crispy, light, and spicy! Yum. 

Our table also ordered the Wok-Seared and Sliced Pacific Ahi with soba noodles and shitake stir-fry ($12.90).  My dining companion ordered the tuna rare and it was cooked perfectly.  The noodles, broth, and mushroom stir-fry were the perfect marriage and balance of flavors.  A delicate and light dish.

Sadly, the Broiled Jumbo Georges Bank Sea Scallops (wrapped in bacon and broiled with a tomato-basil butter sauce – $26.90) was extremely disappointing.  Sadness.  Chewy and mealy, with no bold taste, the bacon on these guys really overpowered the dish. 

All in all…mixed emotions on Eddie V’s.  Two ho-hum experiences at two different locations.  However, the service was spot-on perfect.  But, some of our dishes were really disappointing.  For the amount of money we spent, I think Houston has some better options.

Eddie V’s – City Centre
12848 Queensbury Lane
Houston, Texas 77024
832-200-2380
www.eddiev.com